Harmondsworth is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon

London Borough of Hillingdon

The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...

, close to London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport

London Heathrow Airport or Heathrow , in the London Borough of Hillingdon, is the busiest airport in the United Kingdom and the third busiest airport in the world in terms of total passenger traffic, handling more international passengers than any other airport around the globe...

. The village is situated south of West Drayton

West Drayton

West Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....

.

The nearest places are: Hayes

Hayes, Hillingdon

Hayes is a town in the London Borough of Hillingdon, West London. It is a suburban development situated west of Charing Cross. Hayes was developed in the late 19th and 20th centuries as an industrial locality to which residential districts were later added in order to house factory workers...

, Harlington, Heathrow Airport, Longford, London

Longford, London

Longford is a village immediately west of London Heathrow Airport in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Longford is located 15.8 miles west of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...

, Sipson, West Drayton

West Drayton

West Drayton is a suburban area in the London Borough of Hillingdon in the far west of London, England. Formerly part of the Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District of Middlesex, the district became part of Greater London in 1965....

 and Yiewsley.

History

Harmondsworth was mentioned in the Domesday Book

Domesday Book

Domesday Book , now held at The National Archives, Kew, Richmond upon Thames in South West London, is the record of the great survey of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086...

, its name coming from the Anglo-Saxon

Old English language

Old English or Anglo-Saxon is an early form of the English language that was spoken and written by the Anglo-Saxons and their descendants in parts of what are now England and southeastern Scotland between at least the mid-5th century and the mid-12th century...

 Heremōdes worþ, meaning "Heremōd's enclosure

Enclosure

Enclosure or inclosure is the process which ends traditional rights such as mowing meadows for hay, or grazing livestock on common land. Once enclosed, these uses of the land become restricted to the owner, and it ceases to be common land. In England and Wales the term is also used for the...

".

Notable features of the village are the church of St Mary, with parts dating from the 12th century, and Britain's largest tithe barn

Tithe barn

A tithe barn was a type of barn used in much of northern Europe in the Middle Ages for storing the tithes - a tenth of the farm's produce which had to be given to the church....

, made entirely without nails.

Harmondsworth was originally a parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

, with the name first recorded in AD 780 when King Offa

Offa of Mercia

Offa was the King of Mercia from 757 until his death in July 796. The son of Thingfrith and a descendant of Eowa, Offa came to the throne after a period of civil war following the assassination of Æthelbald after defeating the other claimant Beornred. In the early years of Offa's reign it is likely...

 granted land to his servant Aeldred.

Local government

Harmondsworth was a civil parish, in Staines Rural District

Staines Rural District

Staines was a rural district of Middlesex in England from 1894 to 1930.It was created in 1894 based on the former Staines rural sanitary district...

 between 1894 and 1930, when it transferred to Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District

Yiewsley and West Drayton Urban District

Yiewsley and West Drayton was an urban district in Middlesex, England.It was formed in 1911 from the parish of Yiewsley, formerly part of Uxbridge Rural District. This rural district was abolished in 1929, and Yiewsley was joined by the parish of West Drayton, resulting in a change of name for the...

. The parish - which also contained Sipson

Sipson

Sipson is a village in the London Borough of Hillingdon, in west London, England. It is situated west of Charing Cross and near the northern perimeter of London Heathrow Airport.-Toponymy:...

, Longford

Longford, London

Longford is a village immediately west of London Heathrow Airport in the London Borough of Hillingdon. Longford is located 15.8 miles west of Charing Cross.-Etymology:...

, Heathrow and Perry Oaks - was merged with Yiewsley and West Drayton in 1949. In another reorganization of local government, the village was transferred to the London Borough of Hillingdon

London Borough of Hillingdon

The London Borough of Hillingdon is the westernmost borough in Greater London, England. The borough's population was recorded as 243,006 in the 2001 Census. The borough incorporates the former districts of Ruislip-Northwood, Uxbridge, Hayes and Harlington and Yiewsley and West Drayton in the...

, in Greater London

Greater London

Greater London is the top-level administrative division of England covering London. It was created in 1965 and spans the City of London, including Middle Temple and Inner Temple, and the 32 London boroughs. This territory is coterminate with the London Government Office Region and the London...

, when Middlesex was abolished in 1965. Harmondsworth is currently in the Heathrow Villages ward

Wards of the United Kingdom

A ward in the United Kingdom is an electoral district at sub-national level represented by one or more councillors. It is the primary unit of British administrative and electoral geography .-England:...

, which elects three councillors on Hillingdon Council.

United Kingdom government

There are two UK Border Agency

UK Border Agency

The UK Border Agency is the border control body of the United Kingdom government and part of the Home Office. It was formed on 1 April 2008 by a merger of the Border and Immigration Agency , UKvisas and the Detection functions of HM Revenue and Customs...

 immigration removal centres in Harmondsworth: Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre

Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre

Colnbrook Immigration Removal Centre is located in Harmondsworth, London Borough of Hillingdon. Colnbrook, adjacent to Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre and London Heathrow Airport, houses males and females. Colnbrook, which opened in August 2004, is built to Class B prison standards, making...

 and Harmondsworth Immigration Removal Centre.

Economy

British Airways

British Airways

British Airways is the flag carrier airline of the United Kingdom, based in Waterside, near its main hub at London Heathrow Airport. British Airways is the largest airline in the UK based on fleet size, international flights and international destinations...

 is headquartered in Waterside

Waterside (building)

The Waterside building in Harmondsworth, London, is the international head office of British Airways. The building, which cost £200 million, is located on Harmondsworth Moor, northwest of Heathrow Airport, between the M4 and the M25 motorways...

 in Harmondsworth. The building officially opened in 1998.

Harmondsworth has two pubs

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

: The Crown and the Five Bells.